There are headbands in common use that are used to position a magnifying lens. U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,824 discloses a headband magnifier having an adjustable headband comprising a plastic strap. This headband magnifier is manufactured by Donegan Optical Company, Inc. of Lenexa, Kans. The headband is worn horizontally about a person's head substantially at forehead level. The plastic strap is received in a sleeve to conform the headband to a range of head sizes. An eye shade member can be moved in the line of sight of the wearer and a lens holder is mounted in the front wall of the eye shade member to receive a pair of magnifying lenses. This headband magnifier uses two screws received on each side of the rectangular shaped lenses for fastening the lens to the eye shade member. The eye shade is provided with a pair of rearwardly extending temple pieces which are pivoted respectively to the strap at opposite sides of the wearer's head by friction bolts so that the eye shade may be raised or lowered as desired.
Headband magnifiers have also been available with interchangeable lenses provided on eye shades members positioned from a headband, such as disclosed in Model 102-107 Visor Loupe sold by Herrco Enterprises, Inc. of Baltimore, Md. and the "Eschenbach" headband magnifier sold by C & E Optical, Inc. of Chicago, Ill.
Additionally, headband magnifiers have been configured so that the eye shade member can be worn over prescription eyeglasses such as the one sold by Edmond Scientific Company of Barrington, N.J.
Additionally, there is a headband magnifier available for positioning a magnifying lens that comprises a one-piece headband that completely encircles the user's head. The headband ends are adjustably secured by hook and pile to fit a number of sizes of heads. A U-shaped member includes two arms and a holding member that completely encircles the rectangular shaped lens member so as not to permit lens interchangeability.
Also, sun visors are available having a front shade portion and a back portion where the back portion is disengageable so that the headband is movable between an at rest position and a compression position for said visor to provide a compressive force for positioning on a number of different head sizes. Such a sun visor is sold by 3-D Activewear, Inc.
Headband magnifiers are used in daily activities such as reading classified ads, stock reports, newspapers, magazines, phonebooks, dictionaries and maps. Additionally, crafters use headband magnifiers for sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidering, painting, stamp collecting, leatherworking or any craft where vision enhancement is desired. However, the available headband magnifiers completely encircle the user's head. This encircling strap is undesirable in that it would compress the user's hair in the back of the user's head. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a flexible headband that would create a comfortable tension for all head sizes without completely encircling the user's head. Such a hands-free flexible head mounted magnifier that could be worn with or without prescription glasses has long been desired.
Additionally, a headband magnifier that would facilitate the interchangeability of lenses so that one could change lens powers to provide the desired magnification of the image without requiring the use of screws or other additional fastening means and could be manufactured and assembled at a low cost has been desired.